Include Others in Your Plan
Not along ago, I was talking to a young man who had been addicted to cocaine for many years. He had tried to stop many times. He had good intentions. He was praying and believing, and His heart was in the right place. But every time he would try to quit, he’d fall right back into that addiction. This time, he told how he had been drug free for six months, which is the longest he’s ever stayed clean. I asked him how he did it, and without missing a beat, he told me his plan consisted of three things. Number one, he changed his friends. Number two, he came to the recovery class we have at the church; and number three, he had a friend who would call him every day to encourage him and help him to stay accountable.
I found the third part of his plan to be so important because there are some things we can’t overcome on our own. When you’re making your plan, don’t be too proud to ask for help. Don’t be too embarrassed to call a friend and say, “You know what? I’m struggling in this area. Will you stand with me? Will you help me overcome? Will you hold me accountable?” The fact is we need each other. Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble”(NLT).
If you’re struggling in an area today, know that God has somebody there for you who will help you and encourage you. You may not know who they are right now, but if you’ll stay open, God will direct your path and bring the right people into your life. We cannot fulfill everything that God’s put in our hearts all by ourselves. We need the wisdom or the advice from someone who has gone before us. We need a friend to encourage us when we’re down. We need a brother or a sister to stand with us and challenge us to be strong when we’re weak, to encourage us to keep going when we feel like giving up.
When you’re making your plans, stay open to including others. That’s what this young man did. He had failed all those other times, but when he got the right people involved and put the right plan behind his goals, that’s when he overcame. I believe that when you include others in your plans, you will overcome, too!
I found the third part of his plan to be so important because there are some things we can’t overcome on our own. When you’re making your plan, don’t be too proud to ask for help. Don’t be too embarrassed to call a friend and say, “You know what? I’m struggling in this area. Will you stand with me? Will you help me overcome? Will you hold me accountable?” The fact is we need each other. Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble”(NLT).
If you’re struggling in an area today, know that God has somebody there for you who will help you and encourage you. You may not know who they are right now, but if you’ll stay open, God will direct your path and bring the right people into your life. We cannot fulfill everything that God’s put in our hearts all by ourselves. We need the wisdom or the advice from someone who has gone before us. We need a friend to encourage us when we’re down. We need a brother or a sister to stand with us and challenge us to be strong when we’re weak, to encourage us to keep going when we feel like giving up.
When you’re making your plans, stay open to including others. That’s what this young man did. He had failed all those other times, but when he got the right people involved and put the right plan behind his goals, that’s when he overcame. I believe that when you include others in your plans, you will overcome, too!